Serving documents (recast)

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Article 3(1) – Transmitting agencies

The designated competent authorities for the transmission of judicial or extrajudicial documents to be served in another Member State (‘transmitting agencies’) are the public prosecutor’s offices of (a) the Supreme Court, (b) the courts of appeal and (c) the courts of first instance.

Article 3(2) – Receiving agencies

The designated competent authorities for the receipt of judicial or extrajudicial documents from another Member State (‘receiving agencies’) are the local public prosecutor’s offices at the courts of first instance.

Article 3(4)(c) – Means of receipt of documents

Available means of receiving documents: by post.

Article 3(4)(d) – Languages that may be used for the completion of the standard form set out in Annex I

In addition to Greek, the form set out in Annex I may be completed in English or French.

Article 4 – Central body

The central body is the Ministry of Justice, Department of Private International Law (postal address: Leoforos Mesogeion 96, postcode 11527, contact: Mr Georgios Kouvelas, Tel.: +30 213 130 7529, +213 130 7480, email address: civilunit@justice.gov.gr, gkouvelas@justice.gov.gr, xpappa@justice.gov.gr).

Article 7 – Assistance in address enquiries

In accordance with Article 7, Greece provides the assistance referred to in Article 7(1)(a) on the determination of the address of the person to be served with the judicial or extrajudicial document.

The public prosecutor’s offices at the courts of first instance in Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus and Chalkida are the designated authorities to which transmitting agencies from other Member States may address requests on the determination of the address of the person to be served with a judicial or extrajudicial document. The address is confirmed by using databases to which the aforementioned public prosecutors’ offices have a right of access.

The contact details of the designated authorities are as follows:

• Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Athens Court of First Instance (Eisangelía Protodikón Athinón)

Former Evelpidon School, Evelpidon St., building 16, 10167 Athens

email: diksyn@eispa.gr

• Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Thessaloniki Court of First Instance (Eisangelía Protodikón Thessaloníkis)

26is Oktovriou 3, 54626 Thessaloniki

email: judco.ppoth@n3.syzefxis.gov.gr

• Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Piraeus Court of First Instance (Eisangelía Protodikón Peiraiá)

Skouze 3-5 & Filonos, 18535 Piraeus

email: dioikitiko@eispp.gr

• Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Chalkida Court of First Instance (Eisangelía Protodikón Chalkídas)

Eleftheriou Venizelou 7, 34100 Chalkida,

email: eisaggeliaprot_xalk@yahoo.gr.

In accordance with Article 7(2)(c), Greece declares that the authorities of the Member State addressed submit, on their own initiative, requests to services with databases for information about the addresses of natural or legal persons, in cases where the address indicated in the request for service is not correct.

The public prosecutors’ offices at the courts of first instance of the above four largest cities are scheduled to have digital access by the end of April 2024 to the databases for obtaining information on addresses. For the remaining (geographically limited) territory of Greece, the digitalisation process is ongoing and the date of operation will be announced in due course.

Article 8 – Transmission of documents

In addition to Greek, form A set out in Annex I may be completed in English or French.

Article 12 – Refusal to accept a document

Not applicable in Greece, since Greece does not translate form L in Annex I into a language of a third country.

Article 13 – Date of service

In cases under the ordinary procedure, service must take place within 60 (sixty) calendar days of the action being brought.

Article 14 – Certificate of service and copy of the document served

In addition to Greek, form K set out in Annex I may be completed in English or French.

Article 15 – Costs of service

Costs of service will be a fixed fee of EUR 50, to be paid by bank transfer payable to the ‘Hellenic Ministry of Justice, Transparency & Human Rights’, using the following bank account: Bank of Greece, bank account number: 23/2341147896, ΙΒΑΝ: GR9101000230000002341147896, Swift code: BNGRGRAA.

All requests for service must use the method described. Requests not accompanied by the required receipt of payment from the bank will be returned without processing.

Article 17 – Service by diplomatic agents or consular officers

Greece is opposed to the service of court documents directly through diplomatic agents or consular officers within its territory, unless the documents are to be served on nationals of the Member State in which the documents originate.

Article 19 – Electronic service

Greece does not currently intend to communicate to the Commission additional conditions under which it will accept electronic service as referred to in paragraph 1(b).

Article 20 – Direct service

Greece has no reservations about the possibility, provided for in this Article, of service of judicial documents being effected directly through judicial officers.

Article 22 – Defendant not entering an appearance

An application for relief as provided for in paragraph 4 may be filed within two years of the date of the judgment.

Article 29 – Relationship with agreements or arrangements between Member States

This Regulation prevails over other provisions contained in the following bilateral conventions to which the Hellenic Republic is a contracting State:

- Convention between Greece and Germany of 11 May 1938 on mutual legal assistance for cases under civil and commercial law (Emergency Law 1432/1938 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 399/1938);

- Convention between Greece and Yugoslavia of 18 June 1959 on mutual judicial relations, ratified by Legislative Decree 4009/1959 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 238, 5.11.1959);

- Convention between the Kingdom of Greece and the Republic of Austria on mutual legal assistance in the field of civil and commercial law, signed at Athens on 6 December 1965 (Legislative Decree 137/1969 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 45/1969);

- Convention between the Socialist Republic of Romania and the Hellenic Republic on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters, signed at Bucharest on 19 October 1972 (Legislative Decree 429/1974 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 178/1974);

- Convention between the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and the Hellenic Republic on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters, signed at Athens on 10 April 1976 (Law 841/1978 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 228/1978);

- Convention between the People’s Republic of Hungary and the Hellenic Republic on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters, signed at Budapest on 8 October 1979 (Law 1149/1981 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 117/1981);

- Convention between the Polish People’s Republic and the Hellenic Republic on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters, signed at Athens on 24 October 1979 (Law 1184/1981 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 198/1981);

- Convention between the Hellenic Republic and the Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia on legal assistance in civil and criminal matters, signed at Athens on 22 October 1980 and still in force between the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Greece (Law 1323/1983 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 8/1983);

- Convention between the Republic of Cyprus and the Hellenic Republic on legal cooperation in matters of civil, family, commercial and criminal law, signed at Nicosia on 5 March 1984 (Law 1548/1985 - Government Gazette, Series I, No 95/1985).

Article 33(2) – Notification on the early use of the decentralised IT-system

Greece does not intend to operate the decentralised system earlier than required by this Regulation.